title: Genetic structure, spatial organization, and dispersal in two populations of bat-eared foxes.
abstract: We incorporated radio-telemetry data with genetic analysis of bat-eared foxes (Otocyon megalotis) from individuals in 32 different groups to examine relatedness and spatial organization in two populations in South Africa that differed in density, home-range sizes, and group sizes. Kin clustering occurred only for female dyads in the high-density population. Relatedness was negatively correlated with distance only for female dyads in the high-density population, and for male and mixed-sex dyads in the low-density population. Home-range overlap of neighboring female dyads was significantly greater in the high compared to low-density population, whereas overlap within other dyads was similar between populations. Amount of home-range overlap between neighbors was positively correlated with genetic relatedness for all dyad-site combinations, except for female and male dyads in the low-density population. Foxes from all age and sex classes dispersed, although females (mostly adults) dispersed farther than males. Yearlings dispersed later in the high-density population, and overall exhibited a male-biased dispersal pattern. Our results indicated that genetic structure within populations of bat-eared foxes was sex-biased, and was interrelated to density and group sizes, as well as sex-biases in philopatry and dispersal distances. We conclude that a combination of male-biased dispersal rates, adult dispersals, and sex-biased dispersal distances likely helped to facilitate inbreeding avoidance in this evolutionarily unique species of Canidae.
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, University of Oxford Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, OX13 5QL, UK.
authors.forename: Jan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Kamler
authors.forename: Melissa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Macdonald
keywords: Density; Otocyon megalotis; South Africa; group size; home-range overlap; philopatry